1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an input device which includes a rotatably supported touch pad and a switch element on a lower side of the touch pad and allows an input operation to be performed while an input operation surface of the touch pad is pressed to cause the switch element to be in an ON state.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 9 shows a plan view of an existing input device. In the input device in FIG. 9, a touch pad 1 and switch portions 2 and 3 adjacent to the touch pad 1 are provided. In the input device in FIG. 9, the touch pad 1 and the switch portions 2 and 3 are provided in two-dimensionally different regions.
For example, in the case where a drag operation is performed on an icon on a display screen (not shown), while the switch portion 2 shown in FIG. 9 is pressed with a finger of one hand, the touch pad 1 is operated with a finger of the other hand. By so doing, a drag operation is possible.
Meanwhile, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-117212, a touch pad is movable, and a switch is provided below the touch pad. The structure of the input device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-117212 is schematically shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B. FIG. 10A is a plan view, and FIG. 10B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along the line XB-XB in FIG. 10A as seen from an arrow direction. Reference character 4 denotes a touch pad, reference character 5 denotes a switch element located below the touch pad 4, and reference character 6 denotes a hinge portion which rotatably supports the touch pad 4. In the existing input device shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, a switch input is possible by pressing the touch pad 4.
In the structure of the input device shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, a drag operation is possible by performing an input operation while pressing the touch pad 4. In the input device shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, a drag operation is possible with only a finger of one hand, and thus the operability can be improved.
In a configuration with a movable touch pad as in the above input device, during an operation of a finger being moved on an input operation surface 4a while the switch element 5 is caused to be in an ON state, if the pressing force is unexpectedly decreased, the ON state of the switch element 5 may be released and a drag state may be unintentionally released in its middle.
In addition, even though a pressing force applied to the touch pad 4 is kept constant, for example, when an input operation is performed near the hinge portion 6 of the touch pad 4, rotation of the touch pad 4 in the height direction tends to be small as compared to that with an operation at a location away from the hinge portion 6. Thus, the pressing force applied to the switch element 5 is decreased, and the ON state of the switch element 5 is likely to be released.